Marble runway game



June 17, 1958 c. L. MORSE 2,838,870

MARBLE RUNWAY GAME Filed Jan. 18. 1955 v 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 q If, a?

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INVENTOR. CHARLES L. MORSE ATTORNEYS June 17, 1958 c. L. M'oRsE 2,833,870

MARBLE RUNWAY GAME Filed Jan. 18, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 TFIGA INVENTOR. CHARLES L. MORSE ATTOR N EYS June 17, 1958 c. L. MORSE 2,838,870

MARBLE RUNWAY GAME Filed Jan. 18, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 @96 j? E i I I 529 2? /2t9b I /3 JNVENTOR. CHARLES L. MORSE ATTOR NEYS United States; Patent O 2,838,870 MARBLE RUNWAY GAME 1 i Charles L. Morse, South Dartmouth, Mass.

Application January 18, 1955, Serial No. 482,525

7 r Claims. (CI. 46-43) N This invention relates to a game and more particularly to a game of the gravity runway type which is sometimes known as a marble coaster.

An object of the invention is to provide a marble coaster toy consisting of a base having a plurality of inclined runways which may be supported one on the other and upon which marbles or balls may ride under the force of gravity, falling from one runway to the other until the lowermost has been reached.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy of the marble game typewherein the relationship between .the various runways may be changed, thus providing an educational element of an entertaining type which may :be readily taken apart and assembled in different relabe more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims. 7

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a top view of the preferred form of the invention;

Figure 2 is a partial perspective view of one end of the base;

Figure 3 is a front elevational view thereof;

Figure 4 is a detached perspective view of two runways about to be assembled;

Figure 5 is a top view of an alternative method of assembling the runways;

Figure 6 is a side view of a modified form of runways which are assembled in a different manner;

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on lines 7-7 of Figure 6; and

Figure 8 is a perspective view of still another form of runway, utilizing the principles shown in the preferred 7 embodiment of Figures 1-4.

In proceeding with the invention, I provide a plurality of marble runways of identical construction which are provided with means that will effect interengagement therebetween. These runways may be formed from any suitable material and consist of a trough which may assume ,various shapes. The runways are supported on a base structure adapted to receive at least one of them, and with the utilization of multiple bases a variety of forms may be built so as to provide an educational element to the device.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 to 4 in the drawing, the marble game comprises a base element generally designated 10 which has formed therein a marble receiving recess 11 that is divided in two parts,

ice

12 being a storage portion and 13 being a portion having a gently inclined bottom surface that will feed the marbles to the storage section. To feed marbles to the section. 13, a guiding trough 14 is formed at one end of the base to open into the section 13 and has an inclined surface 14' at the end thereof directly below a marble discharge point. The base 10 is provided with an upstanding wall 15 and a lip 16 on the surface thereof. Within the wall 15, the top of which is on a plane higher than the top of the lip 16, there is disposed a recess 17 and within the lip 16 is disposed a recess 18 which are designed for the reception of the runways, as will hereinafter appear. Each of the runways generally designated 20 may be of identical'form and comprise a generally semi-circular trough section 21' which has extending therefrom a stepped dowel 22. Extending from one side of the semi-circular section 21 is a channeled strip 23 that terminates in a lip 24, the channel section 23 being a continuation of the semi-circular trough 21. As will be seen by referring to Figure 3, the elongated channel 23 is inclined to extend at an acute angle to the axis of the dowel 22 so that a marble when placed within the semi-circular section 21 may roll to the inclined trough 23 and therealong to drop upon the runway beneath it at a similar semi-circular section 21, and so forth, the marble eventually dropping off a channel 23 into recesses 14, 13, 12. The runways are adapted to be detachably secured one to the other and to this end are provided with a recess 25 into which the reduced end 22' of the dowel 22 is adapted to fit, the stepped portion limitingthe amount of insertion.

In assembling the marble game, as shown in Figure 3, it will be apparent that the first runway 20 is assembled to the base 10 by placing the dowel portion 22' into the recess 18 with the elongated channel 23 being placed on a rest 27 (see Figure 2) near the end thereof. In this position a marble going down the channeled strip 23 will fall off the end thereof and into a recess 14 that joins with the recess 13. The next runway 20a is seated into the recess 17 with the channel strip thereof extending above the semi-circular portion 21 of the runway 20, the lip 24 thereof engaging into the recess of the semi-circular channel 21 to prevent lateral movement of the runway. The marble game may be built up to any height by merely adding additional runways 20b, 20c, etc., in the succession just described.

To provide additional educational features, two bases 10 may be employed as shown in Figure 5. When two bases are employed in this manner, two separate marble games will result and two individual starts at points A and B must be made. Additionally, it may be apprecicated that a continuous marble run can be provided with two bases and spacer blocks may be added between the dowels 22 of the runways so as to gain proper height for the runways 20 between these two bases.

In Figures 6 and 7, I have shown still another modified form of assembling the runways to each other, there being shown here a semi-circular trough portion 121 which is provided with a semi-circular depending lip 122 which defines a seat 122'. The lip 122 is adapted to grasp the outside edges of the circular trough 121 so that the units may be stacked, the top of the trough 121 resting in seat 122'. An elongated channel 123, which is a continuation of recess 121, extends from one side of the trough 121 and is inclined downwardly from the trough 121. Additionally, it will be noted that the under side of the semi-circular channel portion 121 is provided with a cut-out portion so that the end of a delivering elongated channel strip 123 may pass into the semi-circular channel section 121.

In Figure 8 I have shown a semi-circular runway having a marble track 223 which is connected to a dowel Patented June 17, 1958 I assasro section 222 by a bridge portion 226. The dowel section 222 is substantially similar to the dowel section 22 previously described and has a stepped portion 222 and a recess 225. The curved marble track 223 is closed at one end 221 and terminates at the other end in-a depending lip 224. Several of these runways may be arranged ona supporting base (not shown) one above the other (not shown) with the axis of the dowels extending coaxial and the tracks arranged to surround said axis. Each runway is oriented on an incline to extend at an acuate angle to the axis of dowel 222 and with the lip 224 of an upper track extending above the closed end of the runway beneath (not shown) and engaged therewith so as to removably secure the runways to each other and whereby the marble may be led from one runway to the other.

- I claim:

I. A marble game comprising a base, spaced support means on said base, elongated runways removably engaged with each of said support means, said runways and support means co-operating to position the runways on different elevations and in inclined relation, means integral with each of the runways formed at one end thereof and rotatably engageable with another runway or with said support means to removably fasten the runways to each other and the base in stacking relationship, said runways being laterally movable relative to each other, one runway being located to discharge into another runway so that freely movable objects are adapted to roll along the runways from one to another and be discharged from the lowermost runway on to the base, said runways each having an elongated guide groove portion with a depending lip at one end thereof projecting into the guide groove of the lower adjacent runway whereby to secure said runways against relative lateral movement thereof.

2. A marble game as in claim 1 wherein the support means on said base comprise a circular recess and the means integral with the runways comprises a'dowel pin extending from one side thereof and a recess opening from the opposite side thereof.

3. A marble game as in claim 1 wherein the guide grooves of the runways are each provided with a semicircular groove portion at the end opposite the lip end with said lip projecting downwardly from the elongated groove portion to enter the semi-circulargroove portion of the runway below.

4. A marble game as in claim 1 wherein each of the support means on said base comprises a recess and the means integral with the runways comprises a dowel affixed to each runway and provided with a circular recess in the upper end thereof, each runway having a semi-circular guide groove portion about the dowel fixed thereto, a dowel entering the circular recess beneath it in the upper end of another dowel and the lower dowel entering a recess in said base so that the runways are secured to said base and to each other in the said stacked relation.

5. A marble game as in claim 1 wherein each runway has a semi-circular guide groove portion at one end thereof, said runways being stacked on said base one upon the other in two stacks with the elongated guide groove portions of the runways of one of said stacks extending toward the semi-circular guide groove portions of the runways of the other of said stacks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 424,260 Bender Mar. 25, 1890 FOREIGN PATENTS 676,469 Great Britain July 30, 1952 

